More than 45 years after gray wolves were first listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Trump administration and its many conservation partners are announcing the successful recovery of the gray wolf and its delisting from the ESA.

Global meatpacking giant JBS S.A. and its parent company J&F Investimentos S.A. (J&F), have pled guilty to conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and will pay fines of more than $256 million for bribery, according to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) news release.

A large winter storm is advancing across the central U.S. bringing cold temperatures and some much-needed moisture. Oklahoma is expected to see a first freeze and precipitation ranging from rain to freezing rain to ice to snow through midweek. Farther north and west, snow and cold are blanketing much of the Rocky Mountain and Plains regions. Fluctuating temperatures and cold, wet conditions add additional stress and health challenges for cattle, particularly for weaning calves and receiving stockers and feedlot cattle.

Namibia announced an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in early October, inducing U.S. beef industry groups to push for tighter security at home.

Packers continue to make gains on the processing of fed cattle. Based on USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) data for actual and estimated slaughter of steers and heifers in August, the pace of fed cattle slaughtered appears to have risen above year-ago levels for the first time since March (see Figure 1).

Fast-food giant Burger King has backed off on its campaign to reduce methane gas emissions by cutting down on “cow farts.”

When it comes to backgrounding calves before they head to the feedlot, most ranchers prefer to handle the process themselves, according to a recent online poll.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first ignited a global shutdown earlier this year, U.S. ranchers experienced a livestock backlog of monumental proportions. As global trade stalled to mitigate spread of the virus, consolidation of slaughterhouses exacerbated production bottlenecks as virus hotspots emerged within our nation’s major meat processing plants.